Defending the Uttarakhand government against Congress protests over the Ankita Bhandari murder case, state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt said the Pushkar Singh Dhami government acted with sensitivity, responsibility, and swiftness at every level.Dismissing the opposition’s allegations as politically motivated, Bhatt highlighted the government’s response, noting that the accused were arrested and jailed within 24 hours of the incident coming to light. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was immediately formed, leading to a thorough evidence-based chargesheet, invocation of the Gangsters Act, and subsequent life imprisonment for the guilty through the judicial process.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the detention of the parents of Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, saying the hallmark of this regime is to silence the voices of the victims and remove those who ask questions.Parents of the 19-year-old Bhandari were released early Thursday, hours after being detained while protesting near India Gate against Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor.While being detained, her father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre to cancel Gautam’s appointment.Bhatt stated that the government accommodated key requests, including changing government lawyers to reflect the family’s wishes and initiating the process for a CBI investigation as demanded by Ankita’s parents. To support the bereaved family socially and financially, the administration provided ₹25 lakh in financial assistance alongside employment for family members.Bhatt emphasised that the government’s approach went beyond mere administrative action, prioritising public trust and support for the victim’s family in their daily hardships.Story continues below this adAnkita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022.Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.With PTI inputs